


Heartbeat

by broadway_and_burbank



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/M, but still a period piece, think ppz y'all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 09:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16552877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadway_and_burbank/pseuds/broadway_and_burbank
Summary: When her sister is taken by a swarm of the undead, Anna leaves the safe confines of the city wall in order to find her. With the help of an outsider who knows the territory, Anna is willing to risk everything to save her.Posted for Kristanna week





	Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> One of my ideas I had for a halloween fic. I got the idea from Pride + Prejudice + Zombies; a period piece zombie fighting story. This is only a WIP right now, since I don't have the time for a full story, but I figured I’d share a part of it.

Anna stood up, shivering in the cold darkness. She needed to find Elsa as soon as possible.

She had a cloak, but perhaps she should have taken the time to change out of her nightdress.

There was nothing to do but walk, so Anna trudged through the snow, boots stumbling over uneven ground and teeth chattering against the wind as the bottom of her nightgown soaked through with snow.

“Elsa?” She called out. She had no clue where to go, or what zombies would even do with a person if they weren’t going to eat them, so all she could do was pray as she walked and called for her sister, hoping with all her heart that Elsa was okay and that she’d find her.

“Elsa?” She yelled for the umpteenth time, looking at the still world around her. Like the rest of her attempts, she received no response except for the wind in the trees.

As she was about to try again, a piercing cry reached her ears. It was the wailing of a baby.

_A baby?_ What would a baby be doing out in the woods alone?

Anna’s heart broke at the sound, and she turned in the direction of the cry. There were some small communities out in zombie country; perhaps a family was lost, or worse – zombies had gotten them, but they managed to hide the child.

She didn’t know the answer, but she’d been on high alert for the undead all night and hadn’t seen anything. It’s possible they attacked the family and moved on.

Anna continued to follow the sound, steps getting quicker as the crying became louder. She had to find her sister, but she refused to leave a baby alone in the woods where it was easy prey for zombies, animals, and the elements.

It wouldn’t be able to last the night. There was no guarantee she would, either.

She broke through a thick patch of bushes and came to a small clearing where a tiny bundle lay crying in the center. Anna placed a hand over her heart as she began to approach the swaddled child. She had only made it a few steps when she stopped.

Something didn’t feel right.

Every hair on her body stood on end as the baby’s screams became more and more desperate. She took one deliberate step at a time, slowly approaching it.

As she made it to the center of the clearing and looked down, Anna screamed too.

It _was_ a crying baby, but half of its face was missing.

Anna whipped around when she heard the bushes rustle, and out stumbled three zombies – two men and a woman. She backed up, nearly avoiding the undead child, and turned around before running back into the cover of the trees.

She heard them gain speed behind her, groaning and screaming through their lipless mouths.

Anna paused to pull the knife from her boot, turning around to face them, knowing outrunning them in the snow and her nightdress was impossible.

But there were three of them and only one of her. She backed up and grunted as she hit a large tree. The creatures began to close in and Anna knew she had to move fast.

Her aim was never the best, but she threw her knife with all her might, it hit one of the men in the shoulder, and he fell over. He was too close to the other two for Anna to get it back, so she pulled out the revolver from under her cloak, knowing she only had one shot.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist from the right, and Anna gasped as the gun fell from her grip. It landed on the ground, muffled by the snow as she looked up to see man.

A human man.

He looked down at her with an unreadable expression in his brown eyes, then, without another second passing, he let go of her wrist and reached behind him, grabbing an axe that was fixed in a leather axe sling on his back.

He threw the weapon – hard – at the woman and it landed securely in her forehead, sending her to the ground.

The last creature rushed toward them, and the man kicked it to the ground before pulling a long knife out of his boot, stabbing it squarely into its chest.

The creature seemed to give a gut-wrenching yowl of agony as it continued to reach out. The man stood the pulled the axe out of the woman’s head before giving the final blow to the creature below him.

When it was over, he straightened his back and turned toward Anna, breathing heavily.

“Are you _insane?_ ” He asked.

“What?” Anna felt confused. Everything happened so fast and she couldn’t stop shivering.

He walked over to her and picked up the gun that was half buried in the snow.

“You _never_ fire a gun unless it’s absolutely necessary. Are you trying to attract the attention of every zombie in the country?”

“Excuse me?” She might’ve been cold, but she wasn’t going to take that. “It _was_ absolutely necessary. I don’t know how much you saw, but I didn’t really have any other options!”

“Yeah, well, you _clearly_ shouldn’t even be out here in the first place.”

Before Anna could respond, the zombie she hit first yelled as it suddenly sat up, grabbing her calf in its boney fingers and pulling her to the ground.

Anna screamed as the creature clutched her leg, digging into her flesh through her nightgown and drawing blood as he dragged his nails down her calf.

Immediately, the man was in the snow and beat the butt of the gun into the creatures head until it stilled and Anna pulled her leg away, holding back a sob.

“It…it…” Anna couldn’t finish her sentence as she grabbed her leg and stared at the bleeding wounds.

_No._ It couldn’t end like this. She had to find Elsa; God, why was she so reckless? Why was she so stupid as to think she could do this on her own?

“What do I do?” She asked the man, pleading at him as he stood up. “ _Please._ I have to – I can’t – is there-?” She was close to tears. She didn’t want to die.

“Calm down,” the man said as he pulled his weapons out of the zombie’s body. He looked back down at her with his bloody axe and knife in hand. “They have to bite you; a scratch won’t do anything. You’re fine.”

Why didn’t she know that? “I…” Anna looked down at her leg again, still bleeding into the previously white snow. She was fine. She wasn’t going to die, and she was fine. She should be overjoyed, but she suddenly couldn’t understand anything.

“I…” She started again, but trailing off once more as she stared at the dead bodies ahead of her. She didn’t notice how violently she was shivering until she tried to stand up, leaning against the tree for support.

The man secured his weapons and placed his hands under her arms, helping lift her up.

“Are you okay?” He asked. His expression immediately flipped from annoyance to concern. “Why are you wearing that?” He glanced over her appearance, taking in her thin and bloody nightgown that was visible under her cloak.

“I’m…” Anna began, but she was so cold, all she could do was shiver.

“Can you walk?” The man asked and Anna was able to nod.

But it only took three steeps for her shivering to take over and she nearly fell. The man caught her again and lifted her in his arms.

Anna was too cold to focus on anything except his solid hold under her as he walked. She didn’t know where they were going, but she couldn’t even form the question in her head, much less ask it through her chattering teeth.

Eventually, although she couldn’t tell if it had been a long or short trip, they came to a small cabin.

He kicked open the door and brought her inside, closing it behind him with a softer kick. He laid her down on a soft rug made out of some kind of fur next to a fireplace where a fire was already blazing.

Anna turned toward it desperately, reveling in its heat.

He disappeared out of her field of vision, but Anna didn’t want to turn away from the fire so she stayed on her side facing the flames.

He returned a moment later with a large brown shirt and helped her into a sitting position.

“You have to put this on, alright?” His voice was really soft. Anna thought his voice sounded like how the carpet felt. “I’ll go outside, but you have to change out of those clothes or you’ll freeze. Can you do that?”

Anna nodded, finally warming to the point her thoughts became a bit less clouded.

“Okay,” was all he said as he handed her the shirt and walked over to the door, opening it to head outside.

When the door shut, Anna finally managed to puller her arms away from her body. She had some trouble unhooking the clasp of her cloak with her stiff fingers, but finally she got it and the heavy material fell off her shoulders.

Her leg was still bleeding, so she carefully wiggled her body to slip the nightgown over her head.

It was only then that everything caught up to her as her sluggish mind came up to speed.

She was in a stranger’s – a man’s – cabin, alone. Without her husband. And presently, naked. Even though he wasn’t in the room, a blush rose to her cheeks and she quickly put on the plain shirt, glad of its long sleeves that covered her cold hands. It rested just above her knees, so Anna stood up shakily, careful not to get blood on her other leg.

There was a chair near to the rug with a blanket on it, and she used it to cover herself, except for her wounded leg which she kept sticking out.

She laid her clothes on the hearth and sat back by the fire, continuing to warm her body.

It was a couple more minutes before she heard a knock on the door. She called for him to come in, finding her voice to be horse and slightly raspy.

He entered the cabin and closed the door, but this time he latched it, and Anna suddenly felt frightened again. He took off his gloves and pulled his thick coat over his head, dropping them on the floor.

But if he wanted to take advantage of her in anyway, he already had plenty of opportunity.

He confirmed her suspicions when he joined her by the carpet and couched down again, using his calm voice to speak to her.

“Can I see your leg?”

“Yes,” Anna said, finding her voice again.

He inspected it, careful not to touch her, and stood up again.

Anna watched him this time as he left. He moved around the small space deliberately, bringing a kettle to rest over the fire, only to leave once more and return with a handful of materials that he laid out on the rug. He stood up again and walked to the small wooden table in the corner, grabbing a metal pitcher and bowl.

He sat down in front of her and took her leg in one of his hands. His fingers were tough and callused, but he held her wounded leg more gently than Anna would’ve ever expected.

He grabbed a flask and pulled the cork out with his teeth, finally making eye contact with her for the first time since they’d entered the cabin.

“This is going to sting,” he warned, and Anna nodded her head, but gasped in pain when he poured the clear liquid over the injury.

He then poured water from the pitcher into the bowl, and dipped a cloth inside, ringing out the piece of fabric so it was still damp, but not soaking.

He began to clean her wound, first scrubbing off the access blood that had dripped around her ankle. He then moved to the actual cuts, carefully wiping around each scratch.

He worked methodically, and Anna could only watch him, her curiosity growing.

“What’s your name?” She asked as he finally finished cleaning and began to wrap her leg in cotton bandages.

“Kristoff,” he replied, not taking his eyes away from his task.

“I’m Anna.”

He continued in silence and when he finished, he tied off the bandage and looked into her eyes once more.

“Is this too tight?”

“No.” Anna was so grateful she didn’t know what to say.

The kettle began to whistle and he took it off the hook above the fire. He made her what she assumed was a cup of tea; it wasn’t very good, but it warmed her up from the inside out.

He was quiet as she drank, and when she finished she put the metal tin down next to her, giving him a small smile.

“Are you warm enough?” he asked.

Anna pulled her now wrapped leg closer to her body so it rested under the thick blanket. “Yes.”

“Good.”

He began to gather the supplies and stood back up, returning them to their proper places.

Just as quickly as his tone turned from irritation to worry in the woods, it changed back again.

“So now that I know you’re not going to die, can I ask what the _hell_ you were doing out there? Alone? And wearing _that?_ ” He gestured to her nightgown as he returned to the hearth, joining her on the floor again. He had his weapons in hand and began the process of cleaning them, glancing up at her as he wiped the blackened blood off his axe.

“It’s…well…look, I know it wasn’t very smart, but-”

“That’s an understatement,” he said, laying his axe behind him and turning his attention to the blood on the fur rug. “You’re out here in the middle of the night, not dressed for the weather, screaming at the top of your lungs as if you’re _trying_ to get yourself killed. You better have a damn good explanation.”

“I do if you’d just let me finish!”

He didn’t respond as he looked back to her, raising a brow as a signal to continue.

“Something strange happened tonight. In the city. Thirty, maybe forty zombies attacked in…in my own house. We were having a ball.”

Kristoff shook in head in disbelief. “No, they almost never get past the walls, especially a number that big.”

“I know, but they did! I’m not sure what happened, but it was _complete_ chaos. I mean, it was lucky the guard was there, but by the time it was over…my sister was gone. She’s gone and I know they took her, so I came up here to find her! I know it was rash, but Kristoff, I _have_ to find her!”

He was silent as she looked at her, then he turned his head towards the fire before he spoke. “Zombies don’t _take_ people, Anna. They eat. Or if they get you and you manage to get away, you only have a few days before you turn. Your sister-”

“Don’t say it,” Anna said, shaking her head forcefully. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s _not_ true. They didn’t hurt her. I saw it. Suddenly they were there, then the next second they were gone, taking Elsa with them.”

“Look, even if that were true, and they did take her, there’s no way she’s still alive. I’m sorry, but-”

“ _Stop._ She _is_ alive, I just know it, and I have to find her!"

Kristoff sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, realizing he wasn’t getting anywhere with her. “It’s been a long night for you, I’m sure. You can stay here tonight, but in the morning I’m taking you back to the city.”

He stood up like it was the end of the conversation, but Anna wasn’t leaving it like that.

“No!” She said forcefully, standing up and letting the blanket fall to her feet. She realized her bare legs were on full display, but she pushed the thought out of her mind as she glared at him, her stare never wavering. “I’m going out there to look for Elsa. Thank you so much for your help, but I have to go.”

Anna bent down to grab her still wet nightgown and cloak.

“Wait.” Kristoff reached out to her, but pulled back at the last second. “I can’t let you do that.”

She stood back up and crossed her arms, _extremely_ exhausted with being told what to do. “What are you going to do? Force me?”

“What? No, of course not.” He paused for a moment and glanced down at his boots before looking at her again. “You’re serious about this.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.”

“Then…I’ll help you.”

“Wait, what?” Anna asked, shocked. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged awkwardly and looked away from her again. “I should just let you go out there and – but I can’t. You’re clearly not prepared and you’re going to die on your own. For some godforsaken reason I don’t want that on my conscious.”

“I am not! I may not know my way around here, but I’m perfectly capable of fending for myself!”

He just looked at her with an expression that she might’ve found amusing if not for the fact that her sister was missing and her leg was injured and she honestly had no clue what she was doing.

“Okay, fine. Maybe I need a little help,” she confessed.

Instead of responding to her comment, Kristoff gazed back down at fire, silent for a moment.

“Why are you out here alone?”

“I told you; I’m looking-”

“No, I know that. I mean…where’s your husband? Why don’t you have anyone with you?”

“What?” Anna was taken aback. “How…?”

“Do you think I didn’t notice that band on your finger?”

Anna looked down at her left hand, the gold ring glinting off the light from the fire. “Oh.”

“Just…from what you said…you were having a ball and the entire guard was already there – I know you’re someone important. Probably the wife of one of the men or something. I don’t know, but I’m not looking for any trouble.”

“I’m not either!” She said, pleading with him. “Look, my husband, he – he doesn’t care.” She thought back to the ball; the fight and his slap and his cruel words. He cared in the wrong way. “He never cares. He told me to just _leave_ Elsa. How could I do that? Then I came out here and he barely tried to stop me. You won’t get into any trouble, I promise. I just need your help.” It wasn’t a _complete_ lie.

He looked at her suspiciously, but then sighed. “Fine. But I have I feeling we’ll need to watch out for the zombie guard just as much as actual zombies.”

“Yeah, that’s a good plan.” Anna didn’t even what to _think_ what Hans would do to her if he found her.

“We’ll head out in the morning,” Kristoff said as he began to move toward the door.

“No.” Anna shook her head. “We leave now; right now.”

“Nice try.” Kristoff turned back around as he pulled his coat back over his head. “But you’re in zombie country now. No one travels out at night; they’re too hard to see. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this _carefully._ No more jumping into dangerous situations, alright?”

Anna frowned, but he _was_ willing to help her, so she figured if she had to play by the rules out there, so be it, even if she _really_ wasn’t one for rules. “Okay.”

“Get some rest.” He secured his weapons and put on his gloves, ready to open the door.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“To sleep in the barn. I’ll come get you in the morning.”

“Oh, alright. Okay, I guess that makes sense.”

“Lock the door when I leave. Stay safe, Mrs…” he trailed off, waiting for her to finish the sentence.

Living out here, he probably saw the guard all the time. He probably knew all of them. He was trying to figure out who she was.

Anna couldn’t help but quirk a brow. He wasn’t getting any information out of her that that easily. If he found out she was the wife of the captain of the zombie guard, he’d probably carry her back down the mountain himself. “Nice try,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and mimicking his words. “But if we’re going to do this, it’s going to be on equal ground. You don’t need to know who my husband is, fair?”

“Fair.”

“Thank you.”

Kristoff gave a single nod, about to leave, but Anna stopped him.

“I mean it. Thank you – for everything.”

“Well, I didn’t really have choice, so…”

“You did. Thank you.”

He looked like he didn’t know what to say to that, so he paused for a moment before simply shrugging her comment away. He quickly slipped out of the door before shutting it swiftly behind him.

Anna walked over and latched the door like he said, then curled up on the rug.

There was a small bed in the corner, but she didn’t want to leave the warmth or light of the fire.

She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but she knew that Elsa was alive and she was going to find her, no matter how long she had to search. No zombies or husbands would be able to stop her.

With her mind set on that thought, Anna closed her eyes and managed to fall into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I'll finish this one day, but I thought this little bit was good enough!


End file.
